Does it have a writeable CD drive? A lot of Macs of this vintage would have had CD-ROM drives only, and so it would not make any sense of a blank CD - does it say something like "the disc you inserted is not readable by this computer"?
The iMac should be able to use any existing broadband connection without additional software - just plug in an ethernet cable going to your router/switch and it should just work (you may need to open Control Panel > TCP/IP and select DHCP, assuming you have a router with DHCP on your network).
If you're getting a clock error, you presumably have a dead battery? Does it complain on startup of an incorrect time, and then if you set the time correctly it has reverted to the incorrect time/date after it has been unplugged (as opposed to simply turned off)? Enabling Network Time will make it more accurate if you have a permanent broadband connection to the iMac.
Also note that the latest version of OS 9 is 9.2.2; you can download the 9.2.1 > 9.2.2 updater from Apple.
The iMac should be able to use any existing broadband connection without additional software - just plug in an ethernet cable going to your router/switch and it should just work (you may need to open Control Panel > TCP/IP and select DHCP, assuming you have a router with DHCP on your network).
If you're getting a clock error, you presumably have a dead battery? Does it complain on startup of an incorrect time, and then if you set the time correctly it has reverted to the incorrect time/date after it has been unplugged (as opposed to simply turned off)? Enabling Network Time will make it more accurate if you have a permanent broadband connection to the iMac.
Also note that the latest version of OS 9 is 9.2.2; you can download the 9.2.1 > 9.2.2 updater from Apple.